The Beauty & The Tragedy
by kblackwolf
Summary: Being asked to kill someone wasn't something Severus thought he could do, but will he kill the one he loves or the Dark Lord he's afraid of? Rating may change.


It was hard enough for the young man to feel overwhelmed with fear, but to feel conflicted with the choices he made was worse. The young man, clad in black garments, sat on the edge of a cliff quite tempted to do the worse thing possible; jump. But he was surrounded by those he feared, and yet once admired for their talent and power; however, now probably wasn't the best time for him to think of what it might feel like to be free of the chaos that he had inevitably joined.

His knees were propped on a rocky ledge with arms folded over them, glancing down at the depths of the ocean that in waves crashed against the ragged cliff. Wind blew against his face causing raven soft strands of hair to brush against his cheeks, and with a brief blink he had a sliver of hope spark in his mind that if he continued to act like he was with the others he would be safe and live longer. But his heart ached at what he was thinking, of what the others requested of him, and he didn't know if he could do it.

Lucius hissed beside him, nervous to disobey their Dark Lord, and muttered something under his breath towards the young man. "Don't be a fool," he told him, and whispered something about the forbidden curses.

A high-pitched laugh came from behind him, causing our contemplating boy flinch slightly, "Oh, he won't do it! Little Severus doesn't have the guts!" The voice belonged to the one he was probably just as scared of, Bellatrix, and the boy shuddered. "The guts to kill someone!" She laughed again, and shifted on her feet, antsy.

Severus, the young man on the edge, sighed lightly contemplating his words. "If I won't it doesn't mean I'll be killed, our Dark Lord needs me, I'll be his only means of getting inside properly." He said calmly, but it was true, ever since their 'lord' changed into more of a monster he couldn't go through the front doors.

Bellatrix growled, and made her way beside Severus and with her sharpened nails she gripped his shoulder but he barely flinched trying hard not to be afraid of her. "Don't think I don't know why you refused our Lord's request." She hissed into his left ear, and then bit his ear with a chuckle as she hurriedly scampered away from him when he dared to point his wand at the woman.

He was pale, if not paler than usual it would seem, and shuddered with painstaking realization from her words. "If… if you dare do anything, I swear I'll kill you Bellatrix." He stammered slightly, fingers grasping his wand tightly though shaken, biting into his cheek.

She only laughed, but her eyes carried an intimidating and haunting stare, as if there were no soul left to fully see in her blank eyes. Just madness, and cruelty were left behind.

The tall blonde man beside him lightly nudged the man with his cane, "Severus," he started. "If you don't do what you've been asked to do I don't want to be the one to unarm you." Lucius sighed, but he was scared to, if not a bit more confident to do what was asked of him.

Severus was still young, not yet finished with his studies and he planned on finishing them and becoming a teacher, but he was afraid to even do that. He closed his eyes, and hugged his knees a bit, trying to ignore the two that were still near him and hoping they would leave sometime soon. But at the same time he wasn't sure if he would ever be left alone, especially when they all had such close eyes on each other in search of any hint of betrayal to come of them.

Even with his hopes they did manage to leave him when his silence was too great for Bellatrix to stand any longer and dragged Lucius off with her. It was probably the biggest relief for him, but at the same time, the worst kind.

As he sat staring at the water below he was ready to do whatever it took to keep his own life, but at the same time he wasn't sure if doing those horrible things would get him anywhere. He was being looked upon as someone to progress the Dark Lords path further, but he just felt like he couldn't do it. Severus bit into his lower lip, and then his cheek, a shiver rolling down his spine and cursing things from within his lips to the point he begged for something or someone to help him through this.

His heart ached with such ferocity that he wanted to kill himself, because the pain he felt right now was unbearable. _I can't kill him,_ he thought as eyes brimmed with tears. _I just can't, nor can I dare to turn him on the path I'm on._ Severus was scared, and he was doing his best to hide it, but sweat gathered along his forehead with nervousness and insecurity.

_Too kill…_ he paused, _too kill the man I love is something I can't do._ The young man told himself, and tried to shake off this feeling, but he was quite honestly ready to die if it meant saving the person he loved. But his shoulders shook with this undying feeling of having eyes on him at every moment, praying on the inside no one could read his mind and somehow stop him.

His eyes widened as the feeling grew more, and more apparent, and he quickly looked over his shoulder to find his worst nightmare standing behind him. Swallowing hard, but pushing back his fears, he got to his feet to face the dreaded creature they all called their Dark Lord. The man who should not be named, and the boy that was turned into a monster more powerful than the people who followed him.

"You had better think wisely about your choices, Severus." The man choked, the reptilian behavior showing as he slowly approached the young boy, and leaned into his face a bit. "I trust," he started, a grin slowly appearing over his thin lips. "You won't betray me."

"N-no, my Lord." Severus stammered, immediately cursing within himself at his behavior, but he couldn't hide his fear very well at this moment. "I'll do all that you ask of me, without question."

"Then what is holding you back?" He questioned, eyes holding no remorse or sense of patience.

"Nothing," he responded quickly. "I'm merely thinking of plans to do your bidding, my Lord." Severus thought of the response as fast as possible, but apparently it was the right answer.

"Good," Voldemort grinned, his thin fingertips lightly brushed over the young mans face and into a few strands of his silken hair. "I wouldn't want to put you out like a worthless muggle," he hissed, "It would be such a shame to put your shameless beauty in a grave." He laughed, clearly seeing the fear in those dark eyes that were nearly level with his own. "But, before I go now, what was the mission I asked of you?" Straightening himself, a good few inches taller than Severus, a blank expression placed on his face.

Severus hesitated for a brief second, before looking at Voldemort straight in the eyes, "To kill James Potter." His fear seemed to dissipate, but at the same time they held a strange sense of confidence that he would get through this one way or another.


End file.
